Racial Opportunity Gap Impacts Washington State Children

A new KIDS COUNT policy report released today, Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children, unveils the new Race for Results index, comparing how children are progressing on key milestones across racial and ethnic groups. Both nationally and in Washington state, no one racial group has all children meeting all the milestones outlined by the report.

In Washington state, using a single composite score placed on a scale of one (lowest) to 1,000 (highest), Asian/Pacific Islander children score highest (760), followed by white (710), African American (423), American Indian/Alaska Native (406) and Latino children (377).

Kids Count in Washington is a partnership between the Budget & Policy Center and the Children's Alliance, which seeks to pursue measurable improvements in the lives of Washington state children.

“Our state’s prosperity depends on the investments we make in all our children,” says Remy Trupin, B& PC executive director. “The data show that children of color continue to face a steep climb. It doesn’t have to be this way. We must do better for all children, their communities, and our future.”

By 2018, children of color will represent the majority of children in the United States. The report highlights the barriers to opportunity faced by African-American, Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native and some subgroups of Asian/Pacific Islander children in achieving success in school and in life.

“Smart policies can close the gaps that put children of color at a disadvantage in life,” says Paola Maranan, executive director of the Children’s Alliance. “We can act to close this opportunity gap, or we can push it wider, swallowing up not only their potential but our shared future.”

The Race for Results index is based on 12 indicators that measure a child’s success for each stage of life, from birth to adulthood. The indicators were chosen based on the goal that all children should grow up in economically successful families, live in supportive communities and meet developmental, health and educational milestones. To compare results across the areas in the index, the indicators are grouped into four areas: early childhood; education and early work; family supports; and neighborhood context.

Watch the Budget Matters Plenary

View the Budget Matters 2016 conference plenary panel, "What's at Stake in the 2017-2019 Budget: Funding McCleary and Beyond," on TVW. Moderated by Ann Dornfeld of KUOW with a budget overview by our own Andy Nicholas, the panel features Nathan Gibbs-Bowling, the 2016 Washington State Teacher of the Year; Lew Moore of the Washington Research Council; Roxana Norouzi of OneAmerica; and Sen. Christine Rolfes. The plenary starts after a brief intro by Executive Director Misha Werschkul and an intro video by Gov. Inslee.

Our Legislative Agenda

Our agenda for the 2015-2017 biennium calls for an equitable, sustainable revenue system in addition to state investments that: promote a world-class education system; sustain a strong middle class; produce living-wage jobs, and ensure that all Washingtonians have equal opportunity to get ahead.

Testimonies in Olympia

We testified in support of a number of important bills during the 2016 legislative session. Take a look:

Our testimony (at the 23:23 minute mark) on the House Bill that would take a two-generation approach to preventing poverty

Our testimony (at the 1:54:09 mark) on the House bill focused on aerospace-related tax breaks